Beitzah 36A

התם תנן ״אבל לא את האוצר״, ואמר שמואל: מאי ״אבל לא את האוצר״⁠ — אבל לא יגמור את האוצר כולו, דלמא אתי לאשויי גומות. הכא מאי?

The Talmud poses another question with regard to the same issue. We learned elsewhere, at the end of the Mishnah cited above concerning clearing out sacks for guests and study: But one may not clear out a storeroom. And Shmuel said: What is the meaning of: But not a storeroom? It means: But one may not finish clearing out the entire storeroom while clearing out the sacks, exposing the floor of the storeroom. The reason this is prohibited is lest he come to level out depressions in the dirt floor of the storeroom, which would constitute a biblically prohibited labor. What would be the halakha here, with regard to lowering the produce from the roof on a Festival to prevent its ruin in the rain? Is it prohibited also in this case to remove all of it and thereby expose the floor of the roof?

התם הוא בשבת דאסור ⁠— משום דחמיר, אבל יום טוב דקיל ⁠— שפיר דמי. או דלמא: התם דאיכא בטול בית המדרש ⁠— אמרת לא, הכא דליכא בטול בית המדרש ⁠— לא כל שכן.

The Talmud specifies the possible arguments: Perhaps it is there, on Shabbat, that it is prohibited, because punishment for Shabbat desecration is severe, but on a Festival, which has a lighter punishment for desecration, it is acceptable. Or perhaps it can be argued to the contrary: There, in the case of the sacks on Shabbat, even though there is suspension of study in the study hall, i.e., the clearing out facilitates a mitzva, you say that they did not permit exposing the floor. Here, in the case of lowering produce on a Festival to prevent its ruin, where there is no suspension of study in the study hall, i.e., clearing out the produce does not facilitate any mitzva, is it not all the more so prohibited?